To fully consider the term retirement, you have to go back to the Social Security Act institutionalized in 1935. At the time, the average life expectancy was 60 for men and 64 for women, and the concept of retirement was that you’d reached your golden era. It was an expected, planned phase of life that indicated a sort of stepping back. In fact, the term “retire” itself carries connotations of withdrawal and retreat from its dictionary definition: “to withdraw from action or danger; to retreat; to withdraw especially for privacy.” And historically, previous generations viewed withdrawing and disengaging from work as a reward, a well-earned rest after decades of labor. For many, particularly in the Silent generation, retirement was the ultimate goal—a time to finally relax after a lifetime of effort. 

However, I’ve discovered through thousands of conversations with women senior leaders, that this vision of “sailing into the sunset” after years of hard work has lost its allure. In a world where our life expectancy has increased and consequently our potential for active contribution has expanded, I find myself wondering why we limit ourselves to defining life as a period of work followed by a period of rest? 

At 53 years old, I often think about what retirement means to me. In my thirties, I dreamt of striking it rich and retiring by 40. But now, the notion of retiring at 40 is no longer desirable. The unappealing part isn’t just the idea of stopping work; it’s our relationship with work itself. We often view work as something we must endure—something to “get through” in order to reach retirement. But what if work could be more like play? If we embraced the possibilities for fun, fulfillment, and impact in our careers, it’s only exciting to imagine having 40, 50, or even 60 incredible years to offer. What would you do with that time? 

Consider the average age of a female leader, which is around 45. Up to that point, many women have felt intense pressure to reach the top quickly or risk being passed by. Sadly after that point, we’ve been conditioned to feel that not only have we been robbed of opportunities, but also that our time and potential to make significant contributions is running out. Yet, as long as our minds and bodies cooperate, who’s to stop us from embracing career longevity and lifelong impact? We must free ourselves from the constraints of traditional career identities and explore new ways to architect the second half of our lives in order to create a legacy that reflects our true potential and aspirations.

This philosophy is supported by the concept of a Portfolio of Impact™, a wheel with five spokes: Lead, Govern, Invest, Create, and Inspire. These areas encompass our core leadership roles, advisory roles, entrepreneurship, investment, and inspiring others through various ways of writing, speaking, and teaching. By recognizing that our primary leadership position is just one aspect of our professional identity, we open ourselves up to a broader range of possibilities for impact. 

Investing and entrepreneurship are crucial components of this new framework. With $30 trillion expected to transfer to women over the next decade, it is critical that women become confident in managing and investing money. Currently, women are vastly underrepresented in the VC and early stage funding rounds with as little as 2% of VC money going to women. Why? Because 40% of VCs are from Stanford or Harvard, 80% are male, and 70% are white. If we want to see women gaining 5% – 10% – 20% and more of venture investment, women must be the ones making the investments. 

This financial empowerment can lead to greater opportunities for women-led startups, as women who understand investment are more likely to support female entrepreneurs. And you don’t have to be under the age of 30 to embark on entrepreneurial ventures! Many women over 50 draw on their deep wisdom and experience to successfully launch startups and consultancies. After 25 years in the tech industry, seasoned executive Christine Heckart founded Xapa, a gamified mobile app designed to help companies develop their workforce. I, myself, founded Athena Alliance at age of 50 after years of serving in executive, board, and advisory roles. While I led a company that I grew to over $50m in revenue in my 30s and early 40s, I had never raised outside investment until my late 40s. 

Finally, the “inspire” spoke encompasses all of the ways in which to share expertise and inspire others, such as writing a book, hosting a podcast, teaching at a university, or speaking at events. After 33 successful years at Accenture, Liz Tinkham shares her wisdom by advising dozens of C-suite executives at global F500 companies, hosting a podcast, and serving as an adjunct professor. Just now entering her 80s, Jane Firth is continuing to share her wisdom in leadership performance, executive presence, and responsible investment strategies. Building a brand around these inspiring endeavors can also provide financial benefits, allowing us to not only make an impact, but continue making a living. 

Previous generations—whether Silent, Boomer, Gen X, or Millennial—have been conditioned to view career progression in a linear fashion. Resumes and LinkedIn profiles emphasize a sequential path from one job to another, a structured and predictable career trajectory. Upon reaching the second or third act of our careers, it’s imperative to let go of that limiting framework, and embrace an expansive, biographical view of ourselves: one in which we zoom out to see the broader perspective of the diverse skills and experiences we’ve accumulated, so that we can leverage them to contribute in new ways for decades to come.

Coco Brown - Founder and CEO

Coco is the Founder and CEO of Athena Alliance, a subscription model SaaS platform for community, learning, and access to opportunity. Athena’s members are top executive women from industry giants including Microsoft, Bank of America, Disney, and Alphabet, and rising leaders like Databricks, Stripe, and TalkDesk. Athena offers a dynamic, “on demand” approach to moving ahead and staying ahead. Athena’s B2B customers are enterprise CHROs and heads of L&D, investing in the advancement of their top women. Within Athena, leaders find live learning, a powerful community for peer-to- peer exchange, and hundreds of hours of business videos that offer an “evergreen MBA” experience. Through Athena, women are guided into the c-suite, the boardroom, investing, entrepreneurship, and their Third Act. Under Coco’s strategic leadership of Athena, thousands of women have advanced their executive careers, and over 300 women have landed board seats.